Red Hood: The Hill #6 Review

🎶And now the end is near. And so I face the final curtain🎶

Well, Jason’s latest mini-series - set before Gotham War, so ultimately, any developments here are rendered moot - comes to a close. My biggest complaints about this series were a) not using Jason enough despite him being the title character and b) the extremely disjointed storytelling. Can the final issue do anything to resolve these issues?

Jason Finally Shines…in the Last Issue

It took six issues, but the creative team finally have an idea of how to depict Red Hood. He’s clever, shows empathy towards a villain who was pushed into a life of crime by Korlee Jr., and has a decent rapport with his allies (yes, even Batman). Considering how little Jason showed up in the last issue (5 PAGES including the COVER!!!), I’m shocked at how well he’s used in the last issue.

However, this might be the only praise I can give this issue as…

The Adventures of Bruce Wayne, Exposition Man Continue

With the Oracle giving Bruce everything he needs to know off-panel, he uses that information to trick Dana into going to the secret location of Korlee Sr by making her think that he sent her sister Denise there. Then, after she leaves, he calls Denise…and sends her there anyway. Where she is nearly killed. Although it wouldn’t be the 1st time Denise has gotten out of a situation unscathed that should have ended with her dead. Oh no, Batman has gained the ability to see beyond the fourth wall!!!

The second round of exposition doled out by Batman is to Korlee Jr., who was manipulated by his assistant (which we only found out last issue thanks to Exposition Man) and has his secrets revealed to the media by his dear old dad, who doesn’t respect him and calls him soft. Unfortunately, no amount of therapy can bring father and son together again, and Jr. gives Sr. a final goodbye choked with tears.

Korlee Jr, having been thoroughly outplayed by everyone around him, tries to huff and puff and blow Batman away with tough talk, leading to this unintentionally hilarious panel…

I'd make a joke, but Batman's expression speaks volumes

Nothing Ever Ends, Adrian…

The biggest black mark against this comic is its unwillingness to conclude any of the non-Jason plotlines satisfactorily. By the end, Korlee Jr is still free, the Watch is apparently going to get back to protecting the Hill despite nearly dying, and Batman is searching for the mysterious Ms. Ahsha, who apparently goes around training everyone to be fighters and is teased as the next big threat. So, not only is Korlee Jr. still free and a character in Gotham now, but we are introduced to a new potential threat near the end of the series. I guess another Hill series is coming in the future…yay

Me and my friends who are admitted in the same hospital as you will keep watch

Recommended If

You want to see a decent depiction of Jason Todd.
You wanted another rousing bout of the adventures of Bruce Wayne, Exposition Man.
Look, just read the original Hill one shot.

Overall

While Jason finally gets to shine in his own comic for once, there really isn’t anything else that I can hold up as great in this issue. Overall, this series - which I should remind you is a prequel to Gotham War for some baffling reason - should have been something right up my alley. Revisiting an old DC idea done years ago with plenty of untapped potential? Yes, please!!! Sadly, it's better if some things are left as a concept instead of seeing it executed in a lackluster fashion.

Score: 4/10

6 comments

Madeleine

July 31, 2024

The "Call me 'Sire'" panel was the cherry on top, wasn't it?

I've been patient enough with this mini that I feel I've earned my annoyance at these past two issues.

I do not want a continuation of this series and regret ever suggesting that I do. My throat constricted when I realized how inconclusive this was. Martinbrough has multiple interesting ideas that all were underdeveloped. It's his own fault. He should have left out half the villains and subplots and developed the core idea of a DIY vigilante group growing out of a neighborhood watch project run by shop owners. His priorities were off. He kept adding inessentials that reduced the story's impact for me: the budget LoA, the mysticism, the mysterious teacher, the parade of villains.

His best idea was the Watch, his worst was centering the story on Dana and Denise, both dull and derivative. Somewhere in the middle is his use of Jason and Bruce.

I'm mixed, more negative than positive, on how Jason is written and used in this series. The series does buck some trends in his characterization that hurt him but it changes him too much. Jason trying to form normal friendships, date, and participate in community life, successfully or not, deserves care. It's threaded into the issues almost haphazardly. Nothing here can possibly justify the retcons made to Jason's childhood. Martinbrough relocated it away from Crime Alley, where young Jason was in dire straits, and over to the Hill, where Jason owns a nice home and has friends. That retcon deserves even sterner criticism than Martinbrough's scant use of Red Hood in a nominal Red Hood comic.

I did like seeing Bruce and Jason work together amicably. I don't know what makes DC think we'd rather see them fight over everything and then make up without due reckoning.

Months ago someone mentioned that for a comic ostensibly about gentrification this feels very remote from urban reality and authentic diversity. There's a paucity of world building and the poor transitions between scenes strip the comic of tension and depth. This is also a master class in how to diminish a diverse cast's impact by making most of them feel like window dressing for the main attraction. Almost all the Watch is sent to the hospital at the halfway mark, before they've had time to become individuals. I could not recall a single member's real or code name at the end of the comic.

Martinbrough's main strength is a good ear for dialogue. He flows most smoothly when the characters are talking things out, he stumbles worst when he's rushing them the the plot. If he'd set humbler goals, focused on the heart of the matter, and not damaged Jason's origin he could have created a great little mini. This is a not so good mini with a some great ideas starved and choked by excrescences.

Sara

July 31, 2024

I love that the cover of this issue is an almost blunt admission that nobody but Shawn Martinbrough cares about Strike and that she sure as hell can't sell a comic. You could almost miss her, I'd say, but you won't. (The pun is irresistible.)

This site's Caped Crusader comments are a cesspool of anti-woke hysterics (and it is to the great shame of this site that the worst of it NEVER gets moderated), yet somehow the Red Hood book has escaped most of that here. It hasn't escaped everywhere.

DC and Martinbrough could have made a good comic about a diverse team brought together through adversity, with Jason caught up in the crossfire. It could have been a fun western genre pastiche. Cut out the crap and take the series' ideas seriously, allowing Jason to lead the way. Or they could have taken their chances on selling a Watch/Strike comic without Red Hood. There WAS a better way. That's not the way DC chose.

And it disrespected Jason's roots. How is anyone supposed to take a comic about a diverse crew seriously when both Jason and Croc get arbitrarily rewritten? Isn't that spitting on its own Where I'm Coming From grounding? Jason is the whipping boy of the Bat-Family. The relationship of his Modern Age origins to his status in the Bat-Family matters. Not slamming Jason like other writers doesn't make up for the problems Martinbrough caused for him. And in the Modern Age, Croc is Jason's friend. Why have him order a hit on Red Hood? Another bad choice that came out of the blue.

Not that I believe Martinbrough cared a tiny fraction as much about Jason's childhood privation and suffering and exposure to violence, or Croc's interrupted redemption arc, or the impact gentrification has on urban populations, or little children being gunned down in dark alleys (nice hoodie, btw), as about getting a foot in the door for his OC.

Robin MB
August 2, 2024
YES! You're saying what I'm wanting for here. Also a discord where we could gather and talk would be fun, hell I'd do it myself if there was interest
1. Sara
  August 2, 2024
  What's getting to me is that the site is obviously being run badly.
  Years ago, people asked for a forum for this site so that we could start discussions without waiting for an article. Sean wouldn't install one. Now the articles are fewer all the time and the comments are diseased and dying.
  (I have actually never used Discord, believe it or not.)
  1. Robin MB
    August 3, 2024
    It's not too bad. I've met some cool people online there. I like it better than public social media like Twitter and Facebook

Kaingerc

August 2, 2024

I kind of had a feeling nothing would be satisfactorily resolved by the end of this mini.

even Dana felt like she was mostly pushed to the side.

DO they even have plans to continue this?!

Madeleine
July 31, 2024
The "Call me 'Sire'" panel was the cherry on top, wasn't it?
I've been patient enough with this mini that I feel I've earned my annoyance at these past two issues.
I do not want a continuation of this series and regret ever suggesting that I do. My throat constricted when I realized how inconclusive this was. Martinbrough has multiple interesting ideas that all were underdeveloped. It's his own fault. He should have left out half the villains and subplots and developed the core idea of a DIY vigilante group growing out of a neighborhood watch project run by shop owners. His priorities were off. He kept adding inessentials that reduced the story's impact for me: the budget LoA, the mysticism, the mysterious teacher, the parade of villains.
His best idea was the Watch, his worst was centering the story on Dana and Denise, both dull and derivative. Somewhere in the middle is his use of Jason and Bruce.
I'm mixed, more negative than positive, on how Jason is written and used in this series. The series does buck some trends in his characterization that hurt him but it changes him too much. Jason trying to form normal friendships, date, and participate in community life, successfully or not, deserves care. It's threaded into the issues almost haphazardly. Nothing here can possibly justify the retcons made to Jason's childhood. Martinbrough relocated it away from Crime Alley, where young Jason was in dire straits, and over to the Hill, where Jason owns a nice home and has friends. That retcon deserves even sterner criticism than Martinbrough's scant use of Red Hood in a nominal Red Hood comic.
I did like seeing Bruce and Jason work together amicably. I don't know what makes DC think we'd rather see them fight over everything and then make up without due reckoning.
Months ago someone mentioned that for a comic ostensibly about gentrification this feels very remote from urban reality and authentic diversity. There's a paucity of world building and the poor transitions between scenes strip the comic of tension and depth. This is also a master class in how to diminish a diverse cast's impact by making most of them feel like window dressing for the main attraction. Almost all the Watch is sent to the hospital at the halfway mark, before they've had time to become individuals. I could not recall a single member's real or code name at the end of the comic.
Martinbrough's main strength is a good ear for dialogue. He flows most smoothly when the characters are talking things out, he stumbles worst when he's rushing them the the plot. If he'd set humbler goals, focused on the heart of the matter, and not damaged Jason's origin he could have created a great little mini. This is a not so good mini with a some great ideas starved and choked by excrescences.
Sara
July 31, 2024
I love that the cover of this issue is an almost blunt admission that nobody but Shawn Martinbrough cares about Strike and that she sure as hell can't sell a comic. You could almost miss her, I'd say, but you won't. (The pun is irresistible.)
This site's Caped Crusader comments are a cesspool of anti-woke hysterics (and it is to the great shame of this site that the worst of it NEVER gets moderated), yet somehow the Red Hood book has escaped most of that here. It hasn't escaped everywhere.
DC and Martinbrough could have made a good comic about a diverse team brought together through adversity, with Jason caught up in the crossfire. It could have been a fun western genre pastiche. Cut out the crap and take the series' ideas seriously, allowing Jason to lead the way. Or they could have taken their chances on selling a Watch/Strike comic without Red Hood. There WAS a better way. That's not the way DC chose.
And it disrespected Jason's roots. How is anyone supposed to take a comic about a diverse crew seriously when both Jason and Croc get arbitrarily rewritten? Isn't that spitting on its own Where I'm Coming From grounding? Jason is the whipping boy of the Bat-Family. The relationship of his Modern Age origins to his status in the Bat-Family matters. Not slamming Jason like other writers doesn't make up for the problems Martinbrough caused for him. And in the Modern Age, Croc is Jason's friend. Why have him order a hit on Red Hood? Another bad choice that came out of the blue.
Not that I believe Martinbrough cared a tiny fraction as much about Jason's childhood privation and suffering and exposure to violence, or Croc's interrupted redemption arc, or the impact gentrification has on urban populations, or little children being gunned down in dark alleys (nice hoodie, btw), as about getting a foot in the door for his OC.
1. Robin MB
  August 2, 2024
  YES! You're saying what I'm wanting for here. Also a discord where we could gather and talk would be fun, hell I'd do it myself if there was interest
  1. Sara
    August 2, 2024
    What's getting to me is that the site is obviously being run badly.
    Years ago, people asked for a forum for this site so that we could start discussions without waiting for an article. Sean wouldn't install one. Now the articles are fewer all the time and the comments are diseased and dying.
    (I have actually never used Discord, believe it or not.)
    1. Robin MB
      August 3, 2024
      It's not too bad. I've met some cool people online there. I like it better than public social media like Twitter and Facebook
Kaingerc
August 2, 2024
I kind of had a feeling nothing would be satisfactorily resolved by the end of this mini.
even Dana felt like she was mostly pushed to the side.
DO they even have plans to continue this?!

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